Cue the Ad

摘要

Hollywood is prepared to be Friends-less. And NBC's rivals can't wait to bag a bigger share of the $2 billion spent for movie ads on broadcast, cable, and spot TV That's how much per research firm CMR says is up for grabs. It all begins with two words: Thursday night. For the past 20 years, NBC's Thursday prime time lineup was the "must buy" for movie studios. "Thursday-night programming, from Friends to Survivor to The Apprentice, helps drive buzz. By advertising heavily on Thursday nights, movies become part of that. "People begin planning their weekend and deciding what movie to see," says Brad Adgate, director of research for media buyer Horizon Media, New York. Because Thursday-night anchor Friends has called it quits, NBC's competitors are relishing the prospect of capturing the premium prices it got for 30-second spots. Media buyers may have chafed at the cost, but they bit the bullet Friends delivered that crucial 12-24 demo.